This application is related to voicemail systems, and more particularly, to retrieving voicemail messages during a Wireless Application Protocol session.
The emergence of wireless cellular phone technology, as well as advances in portable computing now allow wireless access to the Internet. The computer functionality is integrated into the cellular phone handset, thereby providing the cellular phone with the ability to browse and display wireless markup language (WML) or hypertext device markup language web pages. The wireless capabilities of the cellular phone are used to access the Internet.
The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is a standard developed for wireless internet access on cellular telephones, and other wireless terminals. The internet is a worldwide network linking computers from educational institutions, the military, government agencies, and businesses and has been dubbed the xe2x80x9cInformation Superhighwayxe2x80x9d. In addition to email and displaying data and graphics, recent advances allow for the transfer of audio signals, such as voice transmissions, over the internet. Such voice transmissions can include voice messages.
Transmission of email and voice messages over the Internet make possible a unified messaging system, wherein users can access email and voice messages from the internet. For example, a subscriber can be associated with a phone number/extension. A calling party can leave a message for the subscriber by either calling the phone number and leaving the message or sending an email addressed to the email address to the email address. Wherein the sender calls the phone number/extension, the messaging system can digitize the messages and build the transmission protocol for transmission of the messages over the Internet. Wherein the sender uses the email address, a voice message by the sender can be recorded and sent as an attachment file such as a *.wav file.
Retrieval of voice messages over the internet is advantageous for several reasons. Voice messages have been traditionally accessed by establishment of a phone call using the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Establishment of a phone call requires allocation of a voice circuit for the duration of the message retrieval and can also result in toll charges. In contrast, transfer of voice messages over the internet involves a packet data transmission with no associated toll charges.
When retrieving messages, the subscriber accesses a predetermined web site, and provides identification information. Responsive thereto, a graphical user interface indicating the messages stored for the subscriber can be displayed. For example, the graphical user interface can include information about each message, such as the time the message was left, the length, the caller, etc. The user can then select a message for retrieval. Wherein the user is connected to the Internet with a wireline connection, the voice message is transferred and played for the user, responsive to such selection.
However, wherein the user accesses the internet using a WAP session, the voicemail message cannot be transferred because WAP, as of the date of application, does not include specifications for the transfer of voice messages. Accordingly, while notified of stored messages during a WAP session, the subscriber must terminate the WAP session, and call the messaging system to listen to their messages. After completing the call, the user must often provide identification information, such as a userid and password. After identifying themselves, the user must then listen to a menu of choices to hear their messages. In some cases, the user must listen to the messages in chronological order. Upon completion of the retrieval of voice messages, the user must then reestablish the WAP session. The foregoing requires a considerable amount of user interaction.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial if the requisite user interaction could be minimized.
Presented herein are systems, methods, and apparatus for seamless message retrieval during a wireless application protocol session.
A technique for retrieving messages is presented wherein a web page is displayed at a mobile station which provides indicators associated with messages which are stored for the subscriber. Upon receiving a selection of a particular message indicator, a call is automatically placed from the mobile station to a telephony server.
A technique for transmitting a voice message to a mobile station is also presented, wherein responsive to receipt of a phone call from a mobile station, a state server is queried.
A voice messaging system for delivering messages is also presented. The voice messaging system includes a web server which displays a web page. The web page displays indicators associated with messages and receives a selection of a particular indicators from a mobile station. The voice messaging system also includes a telephony server which receives an incoming phone call from the mobile station responsive to selection of the indicator.